I, who was eager to retire, became an Imperial General.

Chapter 143 The End
"Reporting, Company Commander, the new magic-guided mine ambush zone has been set up!"

"The tunnel traps have been modified!"

"The spiked logs have been moved to the designated location and are ready to be deployed at any time!"

"The beam magic cannon vehicle is fully charged, and the Magic Eye Observer is in position. It is ready to launch crossfire beam cannons at any time!"

"..."

In the command post of the underground base located 150 meters below the ground, Fengpo listened to the reports coming from the communication device in his ear.

At this moment, Martha, who was in charge of the Beehive Front, was casting a large-scale mental enhancement spell, and based on the coordinates of the enemy's marching route given by Lünebo, she was fine-tuning the traps at various locations along the front.

After confirming that the ambush zone was set up without any deviation, she stopped the extremely energy-consuming spell. Instead, she rubbed her throbbing temples, casually tore open a packet of magic stimulant and poured it into her mouth, then picked up the water bottle and gulped down several mouthfuls.

Feeling the tearing sensation in her body caused by the depletion of magic power, which gradually subsided with the influx of new magic power, she finally exhaled a long breath.

Looking at the map in front of her, filled with data and coordinates, a hint of resentment flashed in her azure eyes.

Before this, she never imagined that she, who barely graduated from the Imperial Magic Academy's command course with the third-to-last grade in the entire department, would one day be assigned to the position of commander by her superiors.

If it weren't for the data provided by Lünebo, she probably would have completely ruined this ambush.

Honestly, I'm just a support role, why should I be appointed as the deputy commander?

"I really don't understand what the battalion commander is thinking. I have to make him apologize to me later, and at the very least, I have to make him give me a set of the latest Eleno suit. No, I need at least three sets!"

"Otherwise, I absolutely cannot agree!"

Martha muttered angrily to herself as she looked at the map in front of her and began to perform real-time calculations.

To try to deduce the potential damage to the front line after the enemy arrives and launches an attack on the Fengpo area, so as to issue the most suitable rescue route and the timing of the front line explosion, and maximize the killing effect of the trap.

The next second, Martha suddenly heard the voice of a scout:
"Report to the company commander: Enemy troops have been detected to be three kilometers from the No. 1 front line and are rapidly advancing. They are expected to reach the No. 1 front line within ten, no, within eight minutes. Please prepare for battle!"

Are you coming?
It really is exactly the same result that Lunepo calculated.

Honestly, how does that guy's brain work? He can determine the enemy's movement route just by looking at the data, and even calculate in advance when they will arrive.

He's like a monster!
Lieutenant Martha couldn't help but think to herself, "I built an underground military base in the Beehive Slope area in just five days. It was 150 meters deep, 2 kilometers long, and 3000 square meters in area."

However, she also understands that this is a crucial moment for her to demonstrate the effectiveness of her functional connections.

She absolutely cannot falter at this moment; otherwise, after the Battle of Horseshoe City ends, Miles, who had successfully ambushed and assassinated the troops under the battalion commander's arrangement, will be defeated.

Given her despicable nature, she'll definitely make a fool of herself during the post-battle meeting when the battalion commander starts the proceedings.

"Therefore, I must ensure that this ambush ends in the most perfect manner, no matter what!"

Martha slowly clenched her fist, her azure eyes fixed on the real-time data reported by Lünebo every fifteen seconds through the communicator, which she then compiled into the enemy's location on the real-time map.

They waited silently for the moment when the enemy arrived at their pre-set ambush zone.

Then, the order to attack was given!
……

"All troops, stop marching!"

Meanwhile, on the ground, after leading his troops to the vicinity of the Bee Slopes, Leon, seeing the flat ground before him, suddenly issued an order to halt the advance.

He squinted, looking through the moonlight at the flat, seemingly normal ground ahead.

After a long silence, he suddenly turned to his temporary adjutant beside him and gave the order:

"Order the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Artillery Regiments to immediately bombard the ground ahead. Precision is not required; use a barrage of fire to flatten the road ahead!"

After a long march, Leon's initial anger subsided.

Compared to the original concern that deploying artillery formations might allow enemy scouts to discover ammunition vehicles, leading to firing on them and causing ammunition explosions and unacceptable casualties, this was a different situation.

Now, after suffering a surprise attack by John Maslow, they have lost nearly 6000 men.

He now understands that the current situation no longer allows him to continue worrying.

He must conquer this damned Beehive Belt in one fell swoop and then head to Starshine City to rejoin the main force.

The most clumsy, yet most effective, method to achieve this goal is...

The goal was to shatter any traps that the enemy might have laid by bombarding the area with overwhelming firepower!

Of course, he also knew that this was exactly what John Maslow wanted to see.

The enemy wanted to use this method to deplete his firepower, and then use subsequent ambushes to encircle and kill the Independent 4th Division.

This was a blatant conspiracy, yet he had no choice but to walk into it!
"Boom!"

Leon clenched his fists tightly, his eyes blazing as he glared at his adjutant beside him, and snapped:

"What are you standing there for? Go and give the orders!"

"...Yes, Major General Leon!"

Although the adjutant had doubts, he dared not speak further when he saw his superior's ferocious face. Instead, he obediently issued the artillery order to the existing artillery regiments.

"Boom boom boom!"

As night fell, the artillery formation unfolded, and a barrage of shells, trailing orange flames, rained down on the ground ahead amidst deafening roars.

Under the cover of night, without the ability to use magic eyes or professional observation equipment, the accuracy of the Independent 4th Division's artillery shells was extremely limited.

However, relying on their numerical advantage and with relentless bombardment, the No. 1 ambush zone, which was originally buried with a large number of landmines, was successfully dismantled by this barrage of shells.

However, after watching the enemy's No. 1 ambush zone being successfully dismantled under his control, Leon's expression did not soften; instead, it became even more ferocious.

Because he knew that this was just the beginning, and the real killer move John Maslow had left him was probably yet to come.

But now he has nowhere to retreat.

The moment they failed to see through the enemy's previous feint, the moment they thought they had won the intelligence war but were actually completely defeated by the enemy, and even the moment they deliberately withheld information in order to gain merit for themselves, sending the Shadow Force, which was best suited for nighttime operations, to their deaths in Horseshoe City.

He was destined to suffer his first defeat in this battle.

And it will most likely be a crushing defeat!
But he also knew that there was no time to reflect on his arrogance now. He had to overcome this battle, which was destined to be purgatory for him, in order to usher in his own tomorrow!
For him, the greatest victory would be simply to leave this battlefield alive!
"Cease shelling, prepare to advance! All personnel, maintain combat readiness!"

Seeing the ambush zone ahead, cratered and scarred by the barrage of artillery fire, Leon immediately ordered a halt to the shelling. He then stepped out of the jeep, drew his long-unused pistol, and, under the protection of the guards, joined the army as they headed towards the battlefield filled with the acrid smell of gunpowder.

"despair!"

……

Accompanied by a dense, heavy thud of footsteps echoing across the battlefield, the Independent 4th Division, under Leon's command, advanced in a wedge formation, led by the Star Chaser Cavalry Brigade under Damon's command. Relying on the excellent defensive capabilities of the Fried armor and the high mobility of the centaurs in their charges, they ensured that the advance would not be interrupted by a sudden enemy attack.

On the left and right flanks, infantry regiments are responsible, supported by combat battalions composed of combat mages with strong combat capabilities. In the event of an enemy surprise attack, they can respond quickly and create obstacles to give the artillery regiments, which are moving slowly and are protected by the remaining members of the Black Feather Force, time to prepare for artillery support.

At this moment, Damon Morningstar, who was leading the Star Chaser cavalry at the front, was no longer as spirited as before, and a silver-gray Babuta-style helmet had appeared on his head at some point.

Inside the nearly enclosed helmet, his face was filled with solemnity and tension.

He gripped the giant scythe tightly with both hands. The inside of his palms, covered by iron armor, began to become sticky with sweat, giving him an indescribable uncomfortable feeling.

A pair of deep brown eyes were fixed intently on the silent dirt road under the night sky.

It was a perfectly common sight, but his breathing began to quicken unconsciously.

To be honest, in his seventeen years of military service, Damon Morningstar had never felt as nervous as he did now.

He felt like a frightened bird at that moment.

Any strange noise around him is enough to trigger an emergency response in him.

This made his previous reputation as the strongest warrior of the Morning Star Clan seem like a joke even more now!
"asshole!"

Damon cursed angrily, but compared to anger, what filled his heart at this moment was more sorrow.

Because he had realized that no matter how much he tried to deny it, he was no match for the painful truth and the terrifying dominance of the Imperial Magic Soldiers.

The Saga Kingdom's continued reliance on cold weapon warfare is indeed nearing its end with the changing times.

I should probably talk to my father about it later. Perhaps the orcs really need to make some changes.

Otherwise, in future battles against the Empire, the Saga Kingdom will likely remain in a passive and defensive position, just like it is now.

Of course, that's assuming I can get back alive.

Damon was pondering this when, at that moment, a series of sharp whooshing sounds suddenly reached his ears.

"Whoosh!"

Immediately afterwards, black, cannonball-like spherical objects were launched out of nowhere from the night sky, and then fell like a rainstorm onto the Star Chaser Cavalry Brigade directly in front of the troops.

"!"

Thanks to his years of combat experience, Damon regained his senses almost instantly.

He then swung his sickle without hesitation.

The scythe, weighing over a hundred pounds, seemed like a feather in his hands. With his artistic and dazzling slashes, the palm-sized sphere that came at him was instantly cut into countless fragments by the several cold beams of light he unleashed.

However, the expected explosion and backlash did not occur.

After he shattered the black sphere, aside from splashing him with a sticky liquid and staining his hard armor black, it did not cause him any discomfort.

And he wasn't the only one; the rest of the Star Chaser Cavalry who were attacked experienced the same thing.

This is……

Damon, somewhat bewildered, reached out a finger and wiped the sticky liquid off his armor, then carefully placed it in the gap of his helmet and smelled it.

The liquid had a viscous texture similar to the animal fat used for lighting in their tribe, but it didn't have the aroma of fat. Instead, it was extremely pungent, like the corpse oil formed by the great power of nature after a corpse had decomposed for a long time.

Wait, could it be that!

At that moment, as if he understood something, Damon's pupils suddenly contracted to their maximum.

Just as he was about to sternly remind the members of the Star Chaser Cavalry Brigade to leave the spot immediately...

The next second, hundreds of figures suddenly sprang out of the tunnel from the flat ground that had been empty.

Then, under Damon's despairing gaze, the fire mages, their bodies wreathed in the glow of fire magic, unleashed their pre-prepared fire rays at the group of Star Chaser Cavalrymen covered in oil.

"Whoosh whoosh!"

Hundreds of orange-red flames, as thick as tree trunks, moved like fiery serpents and arrived in front of the Star Chaser Cavalry in an instant.

Faced with this familiar magical attack, the members of the Star Chaser Cavalry instinctively raised their shields to defend themselves, attempting to shatter these harmless fire spells with their incredible strength.

However, the anticipated scene of the fire serpent being defeated by the power did not occur.

On the contrary, the moment the oil-covered shield came into contact with the fire magic, it seemed to produce a violent reaction.

Almost instantly, it transformed into even more intense flames, which then spread and covered the bodies of the Star Chaser Cavalry in astonishment and confusion.

Then, amidst piercing screams, the valiant cavalrymen were instantly transformed into burning figures of fire!
"what!"

"Water! Quickly, bring water!"

The once orderly cavalry brigade was instantly thrown into chaos. The rising flames illuminated the dark night sky, and also lit up the group of Imperial soldiers who had appeared on the surrounding hillsides at some unknown time, holding guns and pointing them at the Independent 4th Division below, like ghosts.

Immediately afterward, the openings of fifteen mounds in front of them suddenly appeared.

Feeling the terrifying magical energy rapidly gathering within, almost enough to make one's scalp tingle, Damon used wind pressure to shatter the pillar of fire and barely escaped being engulfed in flames.

A bitter smile crept onto his face, though it was hidden beneath his helmet.

At that moment, he knew clearly that the Star Chaser Cavalry Brigade was coming to an end.

"boom!"

……

(End of this chapter)